Risk that poker site employees could be arrested at the WSOP?

memphis57 · #1 06-25-2005, 01:25 AM

Remember the Russian programmer the feds arrested at the LV hackers convention? Even though they eventually released him and got a certain amount of bad publicity, I understand the law enforcemnt types still considered that a real coup for copyright enforcement. Well, what if they take the stand that anyone involved with offshore poker sites is breaking US law, and arrest some of the people that come to the US to play in the WSOP, but also work for (or even just have affiliate deals with) poker sites? Isn't that a risk in the current environment?

sfwusc · #2 06-25-2005, 01:28 AM

Is online poker illegal?

I see a lot of people walking around with Tshirts from poker sites and not one person arrested.(one was at best buy with full tilt....people play there?)

-SFWUSC

StacysMom · #3 06-25-2005, 01:38 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Is online poker illegal?

I see a lot of people walking around with Tshirts from poker sites and not one person arrested.(one was at best buy with full tilt....people play there?)

-SFWUSC

[/ QUOTE ]
I was playing at Rockford Charitable Games tonight, and 2x brwon trout where there sporitng Full Tilt gear...

I didnt knwo ppl played there either.

smartalecc5 · #4 06-25-2005, 06:23 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Is online poker illegal?

I see a lot of people walking around with Tshirts from poker sites and not one person arrested.(one was at best buy with full tilt....people play there?)

-SFWUSC

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't you say I raped and killed 50 people while smoking pot - and they can't do anything about it unless they have evidence?

RedManPlus · #5 06-25-2005, 09:03 PM

[ QUOTE ]

Can't you say I raped and killed 50 people while smoking pot - and they can't do anything about it unless they have evidence?

[/ QUOTE ]

Reductio Ad Absurdum

Much more likely to happen...
They "find" a crack pipe in your car...
And toss you in a jail cell with Bubba overnight.

Maybe if you have a good lawyer...
Who takes calls at 3:00 AM (unlikely)...
You don't have to shower with Bubba.

rm+

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Shoe · #6 06-25-2005, 02:15 AM

What would they charge them with? Operating a poker site from a jursidiction where it is perfectly legal?

BigF · #7 06-25-2005, 11:39 AM

[ QUOTE ]
What would they charge them with? Operating a poker site from a jursidiction where it is perfectly legal?

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe you missed the news a couple days ago. DoJ actually threatened to sue the founders of Party Poker, claiming that even though Party is not a U.S. company it's still illegal for them to provide online gambling service to U.S. citizens.

They even threatened to arrest the founders if they choose to enter U.S. territory at some point.

Shoe · #8 06-25-2005, 01:12 PM

Ah, I did miss that as I did not have the internet for the last week or so. What BS.

MicroBob · #9 06-25-2005, 06:26 PM

I missed this story too.

I do remember a 60 minutes piece (or some such show) about a couple of guys who run a sports-betting site out of Costa Rica who can't come back to the U.S. for fear of prosecution. I think it might have been that Cohen guy that was mentioned here (he said he wouldn't come back....but then he did and he got nailed...something like that).

Thinking about that...and the story I haven't seen yet....I suspect the idea isn't QUITE as far-fetched as I originally would have thought.

grinin · #10 06-25-2005, 07:04 PM

There are dozens of guys, mostly sportsbook operators, living abroad that basically are now risking their freedom whenever they return to the US.

Funny, that we have a lot of expatriate millionaires and now billionaires that are now unlikely to return to the USA to spend that money and generate tax revenue. Lots of money wasted on the peons in Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Jamaica, third world countries, etc. instead of NYC or LA or anywhere else in the good ol USA.